I love metallic finish furniture, and I thought this little library table was the ideal piece to try my own metallic finish. I bought the table on Craigslist last year for $15. I adored its cute shape, but it needed lots of repairs. I pulled 21 (mostly bent) nails out of this thing—and filled twice as many holes. Then a few coats of shiny silver paint and a handmade stencil gave it an instant update. Like the stencil? Download the pattern to make your own. And the pink books? I covered a few beloved paperbacks with coordinating 12- x 12-inch scrapbooking paper.

6. Using a utility knife and a self-healing mat, cut out the stencil. It’s easier and more effective to turn the stencil, not the knife, when you cut round shapes.

7. Spray a light coat of adhesive on the back of the stencil, and let dry a minute or so. Or you can use stencil adhesive. Adhere the stencil in place. Using a fairly dry paintbrush, apply paint to the stencil in a thin coat. The stencil tends to bleed slightly, so immediately remove the stencil and paint a thicker coat of paint by hand, smoothing out the bleeds as you go.

*Note: The instructions above are how I did it, but I think there’s a better way. After step 3, spray a couple coats of white paint in the general area where you’re going to stencil, then skip to step 5 and 6. Trace the stencil onto Con-Tact paper and cut it out. When the paint is dry (I’d give it 24 hours), remove the backing and adhere the Con-Tact paper stencil onto the table. Continue with step 4, then peel off the Con-Tact paper. (If you try this, please let me know if it works for you!)

You are so so so so SO incredibly talented. Your eye for good design is just superb. You could take anything in the world and make it infinitely times better, and for that I always LOVE coming to your blog. :) Yet another job well done!

iheart-orange – Stencil board is a thick waxy paper made for cutting your own stencils. I found it at University Art. However, because it’s so thick your hand gets sore if you’re cutting a detailed design. I’m inclined to think that stencil mylar is the better way to go. I’m definitely going to try it with my next stencil project.

C B – I used Rust-Oleum Bright Coat Metallic Finish spray paint in chrome. Make sure you read the instructions on the can. They’re slightly different than regular spray paint.

I love this project! In my head as I was reading I was thinking of contact paper instead and wondering if it would work (only because I am challenged at cutting thick stencils!)–I hope to give it a try.

Lacie D said,

Susan D said,

Love your book table! Just adorable!
Yesterday I silver chrome spray painted a small oak side table. I let it dry and when I went to bring it in the house I noticed the shiny chrome finish is rubbing off. I used Valspar Brilliant Metal silver chrome for wood or metal. I looked around on the internet and noticed lots of folks are having this problem with chrome spray paint. Anyone else have this problem? What did you do to solve it?

Linda said,

I loved it so much I sent my brother a picture and had him design one for me. I would love to send you a picture of it. It turned out beautifully. I painted mine silver as well! Thanks for the inspiration. Where can I post a pic for you to see? Do you have a facebook page?
And to Susan, I used Krylon silver paint. Worked perfectly. I’ve only used the chrome on metal.